NDP shuffles senior bureaucrats

The Kinew government has shuffled its senior health and finance managers and bid farewell to the deputy minister who launched its school nutrition program.

Members of the public service were alerted Monday to numerous changes to the list of leaders who run government departments.

Silvester Komlodi, who previously oversaw the finance portfolio, has been tasked with providing input on health-care policies.

His predecessor, Scott Sinclair, has been moved to agriculture. Matthew Wiebe has been tapped as acting deputy minister of finance.

Among other changes, Mona Pandey has left municipal affairs and northern affairs to manage the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 portfolio.

“(It’s) time for slipping into another gear,” now-former deputy education minister Brian O’Leary said as he reflected on a nearly 50-year career in the K-12 sector.

O’Leary was the superintendent of Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks School Division for upwards of 20 years. He was asked to serve as one of Premier Wab Kinew’s inaugural deputy ministers after the 2023 election.

“I’m really proud of the nutrition program. Proud of the wage grid in child care. And a whole bunch of things, and I’m honoured to have had the opportunity,” he said as he spoke about working with the late Nello Altomare and current Education Minister Tracy Schmidt.

Sarah Thiele, cabinet secretary and clerk of executive council, gave a special shoutout to O’Leary and Bernadette Preun, in her memo.

She recognized the former’s “longstanding contributions” to education and the latter’s “distinguished career.”

Preun started her career with Manitoba’s public service in 2001.

Thiele said in her mass email that the latest combination of leaders will blend “fresh perspectives and proven expertise to strengthen the public service’s ability to deliver on the government’s commitments.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca